New Media innovator Joanna Berzowska speaks February 23, 2007

New Media innovator Joanna Berzowska speaks
at the Kodak Lecture Series, Ryerson University on February 23rd.

... one of thirty nine Canadians who make the world a better place...
Maclean's 2006 Honour Roll

The Kodak Lecture Series is pleased to present Joanna Berzowska, one of the leading lights in the area of research and design of electronic textiles and responsive garments. Berzowska is Assistant Professor of Design and Computation Arts at Concordia University. She is the founder and director of XS Labs, and an active member of the Hexagram Research Institute in Montreal.

She received her Masters of Science from MIT for her work titled Computational Expressionism and subsequently worked with the Tangible Media Group of the MIT Media Lab and co-founded International Fashion Machines in Boston. She holds a BA in Pure Math and a BFA in Design Arts.

Berzowska is best known for her creation of memory-rich garments such as the Finger Dress and the Feathery Dress which record and visually display the history of where the person wearing the garment has been touched by others. Berzowska also utilizes kinetic elements in pieces such as Kukkia, a dress that is decorated with flowers that possess autonomous behavior, opening and closing according to their own whims.

After completing both a BA in Pure Math and a BFA in Design Arts, Berzowska did research on computational expressionism for her Masters of Science at MIT. She subsequently worked with the Tangible Media Group of the MIT Media Lab and co-foundered International Fashion Machines in Boston.

Her art and design work has been shown in the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in NYC, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Millenium Museum in Beijing, various SIGGRAPH art galleries, ISEA, The Art Directors Club in NYC, The Australian Museum in Sydney, NTTICC in Tokyo, and Ars Electronica Centre in Linz.

Sponsored by Kodak Canada and hosted by the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University, the Kodak Lecture Series is one of the most popular general audience art events to take place in the city, providing students, art specialists and the public alike with the opportunity to see and hear about some of the world's most innovative art practices.

This year the Kodak Lecture Series is pleased to be presenting lectures in partnership with two of Toronto's most exciting cultural festivals. In April we will Uncoming speakers in the Kodak Lecture Series include Jamel Shabazz on March 16th and Roger Ballen on May 11th. An exhibition of Jamel Shabazz's photographs will open the following day at the newly launched Thrush Holmes Empire on Queen St. West. Photographer Roger Ballen's beautiful and confounding images will be exhibited at the Clint Roenisch Gallery during CONTACT in May.

WHAT: Kodak Lecture Series: Joanna Berzowska

WHEN: 7:30 pm, Friday, February 23, 2007

WHERE: Centre for Computing and Engineering, Lecture Theatre 103, 245 Church Street (just north of Dundas Street East at Gould Street)

COST: FREE. Arrive early for guaranteed seating.

Web: Lectures are webcast live as well as archived at www.ryersonlectures.ca/

For more information, the public may contact: Kathleen Pirrie Adams, Kodak Lecture Series Coordinator at or 416.979-5000 ext 6873

Official Website: http://www.ryersonlectures.ca/